Rams running back Steven Jackson is tackled by a Broncos defender. A new rule will keep NFL running backs from lowering their heads for contact in the open field.

PHOENIX - In its continuing quest to make the game safer, NFL owners passed a rule Wednesday prohibiting ball-carriers from using the crown of their helmet to make forcible contact with a defender in the open field.

Although it is sure to be met with vocal resistance from current running backs, the measure won by a 31-1 count (Cincinnati was the dissenting vote) before the meetings broke off at the Biltmore Resort.

The rule also will apply to defenders who lead with their helmet.

The league’s competition committee presented the rule this week. Aside from the offensive face-mask penalty, this is the first major rule that penalizes the ball carrier from creating contact.

“What we’re talking about is keeping your head up,” said St. Louis Rams coach Jeff Fisher, a member of the competition committee. “We’ve said it numerous times about bringing the shoulder back into this.”

Before the vote, Jaguars coach Gus Bradley was in favor of the rule.

“How can you be against it?” he said. “Safety is the No. 1 thing for the players. Some of the hits we’ve seen, I agree fully we have to try and eliminate those from the game.

“The issue is, how do you call it? How do you see it at full speed?”

To that end, senior director of officiating Alberto Riveron said he hopes each play in question has three officials with a clear view — from the back, the front and the side.

“We’re going to encourage our officials to have a conference to make sure we have seen what we actually saw,” Riveron said. “We’re also going to encourage them to slow down when they have this type of play and make sure they have the components of the foul.”

The penalty is not subject to instant replay challenge.

During the rule-constructing process, the competition committee asked the officiating department to process data as to how often the penalty would be called.

Taking every play from every game in Weeks 10 and 16 of last year, vice president of officiating Dean Blandino said there would have been 11 penalties called for using the crown of the helmet, divided nearly evenly on offense and defense.

The league will soon send out detailed videos to the teams with examples of clean and illegal hits. But concerns will remain.

“Players will ask, ‘What can I do? What can’t I do?’ ” Bradley said. “It’s a precision league and if you play with any hesitancy, you’re in trouble.”

Said competition committee chairman Rich McKay: “Some were nervous about how it was going to get coached and some were worried about the officiating side of it. None were revelations, but they were things we needed to work through.”

On Tuesday, the league made the peel-back block illegal in the hope it will prevent defensive players from getting “chopped” below the waist while pursing the ball-carrier.

McKay would like the rule changes to have a ripple effect on the game.

“We view ourselves as a league that has to be a leader in this area,” he said. “Our hope is always that our rule changes can impact those levels below us: high school, youth football, college or whatever it might be.”

There were four other approved rule changes:

- The “Tuck Rule” is no longer. “When a passer begins to bring a ball back to his body to begin the tuck and he loses that ball, whether on the way back to his body or after completing the tuck, it will now be ruled a fumble,” Fisher said.

- On plays when a coach throws a red flag even though he is not allowed to, the coach will be penalized or lose a time-out, depending on when he threw the flag.

- On point-after attempts and field goals, rush teams will not be allowed to have more than six players to one side of the football and are not allowed to block low. This is also a safety issue to prevent overload rushes in an attempt to block a kick.

From Bleacher Report (Link Below):
"In the last 12 years Hockey has had exactly 2 deaths on the ice worlds wide, soccer has had over 70 deaths on the field in that time. If you have to wonder after that then I don't know what to tell you."

btw, I said "in some instances" depending on what you are ranking. Fact is Soccer is a dangerous sport but for some reason, many people in the U.S. don't believe that...Do some research and I think you'll be surprised on what you will find.

You got to be kidding me! Or kidding yourself! A religous issue? Let me see, Kurt Warner was a very outspoken Christian (and by the way, I loved to watch him play and was proud of him suppporting his faith! Kurt did very well and won a superbowl. Ray Lewis thanked God everytime he got in front of a camera. I get sooo tired of saying this because you Tebow fans will never see the forest for the trees.

NFL = M.O.N.E.Y.! Get it?? If Tebow could play NFL football do you think for a moment that teams would not be lined up for this kid? They don't give a crap about his religion.. If he can win on a consistent basis against good teams, he'd have no concerns over a NFL contract. A winning QB holds the cards!

He had three years - 2 with Denver and was fired, one with the Jets and was basically benched as a QB - I don't need a crystal ball. I'll stick with the facts instead...

It must be the religion issue- all he needs is more than a few snaps, lord knows they gave gabbert plenty! And Garrard is a great quarterback with experience- if he, like Tebow, get's some support then you never know what can happen, unless you have a crystal ball? Do you have one?

Videoman, you can believe that all day long but IF that was a fact, then there would be teams lined up to bring him on BUT there are 31 other owners, 31 other general managers, 31 other head coaches, 31 other offensive coordinators, 31 other quarterbacks coach that DONT WANT TEBOW! And a Hall of Fame QB that spent 120 MILLION dollars to fire him!! Forgive me if for now, I opt to follow that crown instead of someone who just happens to be from Gator Country wanting the hometown boy that happens to be a "popular" guy to be in a Jaguar uniform. IF by the way he was so good (including what they see everyday in practice), why in the world would the Jets sign David Garrard?

And as far as winnning, there happen to be other guys that helped him along to beat WEAK Teams... I hear you guys talking about the injured prone Steelers that went to Mile High...OK, I guess he could have proved he was the real deal when they went to New England..,Brady and the Pats ate his lunch; next.........